I have been flicking through my 2003/4 Panda brochure when I came across an odd bit of text. '1.2 with drive-by-wire throttle delivers 60bhp'. Last time I checked, my Panda was a cable throttle.

What's drive-by-wire? When there's a physical wire pulling something to accelerate as opposed to the modern way where it's a computer controlled input to a computer controlling the engine?

SB1500 said:

What's drive-by-wire? When there's a physical wire pulling something to accelerate as opposed to the modern way where it's a computer controlled input to a computer controlling the engine?

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I've always thought the 'modern way' as you put it was 'drive by wire' i.e. computer controlled.

Drive-by-wire is where the accelerator is computer controlled. I believe all Pandas (maybe not the Dualogic or diesels) 1.1 and 1.2 are cable throttled until VVT arrived in 2010 (Panda ECO models).

My 2009 '59' Panda has a cable throttle. Therefore the brochure is incorrect.

Matt

pretty sure my 2005 1.2 petrol 4x4 was drive by wire... can't go check now but would almost bet on it. Memory tells me there a black box near the throttle pedal which contained the gubbins that detects where the pedal is, and a small stepper motor on the throttle body that physically moved the throttle.

Edit - yes, you can see the throttle 'motor' in my first photo in this post: https://www.fiatforum.com/panda/423322-remove-generator-advice-please.html?p=4058356 - definitely not a cable-operated throttle there

My 2006 1.2 has a throttle cable, so definitely not 'drive by wire', unless you want to argue that the cable is made of thick wire.

As said above, I think the drive by wire came in with the 69hp engine. Then the throttle pedal is just a rheostat (like the volume control on a radio). The computer measures position, movement and speed of movement and fuels the engine accordingly.

matty23 said:

Drive-by-wire is where the accelerator is computer controlled. I believe all Pandas (maybe not the Dualogic or diesels) 1.1 and 1.2 are cable throttled until VVT arrived in 2010 (Panda ECO models).

My 2009 '59' Panda has a cable throttle. Therefore the brochure is incorrect.

Matt

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I think you're right with this. I know our 2009 1.2 Dualogic is FBW, our 2004 1.1 Active was cable.